Monday, October 10, 2016

MMGM- How to Avoid Extinction

There are middle grade books that literally make me dance a bit and want to fist pump when I finish them. They are few and far between, and this year, mainly about video games. (Which is weird, because if there is one thing in real life that I hate, abhor and despise, it would be video games in ANY permutation!) I'm a huge fan of books involving grandparents, and also love road trip books. May I also say that my father had a 1968 Buick Electra of which I was very fond? Go out and read this book immediately!

Acampora, Paul. How to Avoid ExtinctionSeptember 27th 2016 by Scholastic PressE ARC from Edelweiss Above the TreelineSince his grandfather passed away, Leo's job is to keep track of his grandmother. She's fiesty, loves doughnuts, and has decided that for the anniversary of her husband's death, she wants to visit a dinosaur site that they were going to travel to together. She knows enough that she shouldn't go alone, so inveigles not only Leo but his cousin Abbey into going with her, since "I'm old. I'm able, and I've got an extremely high credit limit." Soon, the group takes off, armed with doughnuts. The first stop is the Natural History Museum in Chicago, where they meet Honey Buenafe, a student who is heading home to Nebraska. They offer to drive her, since it's on their way and she can help them find the dinosaur site they need in Utah. Her dog, Kermit, comes along. When they get out to Nebraska, they are warmly welcomed by Honey's Filipino family, but Gram takes off on her own, somewhat in part because she wants to stop by Denver to get a tattoo. Leo and Abbey, provisioned with spicy octopus snacks by Mrs. Buenafe, take off after her, eventually calling Leo's mother to come and join their trip. Leo learns a lot about his father, whom he has never met, his mother and her past, and is able to keep his grandmother safe and also help her dreams come true. Strengths: This is a fantastic mix of funny and serious. Leo is apprehensive about going, but loves his grandmother and wants her to be happy. Abbey is up for a road trip, especially since she would really like to be a paleontologist, and she's great about looking out for everyone. The Buick runs into understandable problems for its age. Honey and her family are so much fun, and a great lesson in how friends can be made under the most surprising circumstances. I also loved how grief was handled-- it's there, but we don't necessarily have to keep going over and over it. In fact, if there are some instances that we want to pretend never happened, that's okay, too. Loved that. Weaknesses: The dog is old.You have been warned. Could have done without that.What I really think: Great cover, great story, can't wait to get this one!You haven't nominated a book for the Cybils Awards yet? GO RIGHT HERE and do that!Stuck as to what to nominate? Here's some Middle Grade Fiction that I would love to see added to the list. It's good to have a mix of books on a variety of topics-- notice there are a few more sports books on the list. I'd like to see all of these books get a little more attention. The list is not complete, but a good start!Acampora, Paul. How to Avoid ExtinctionArnold, Elana K. Far From FairBauer, Joan. Soar.Berend, Janet Eoff. True VertBrown, Gavin. Josh Baxter Levels UpBurkinshaw, Kathleen. The Last Cherry BlossomCallaghan, Cindy.Lost in HollywoodCavanaugh, Nancy J.Just Like MeFrazier, Sundee T. Cleo Edison Oliver: Playground Millionaire Gerhardt, Jake. Me and Miranda MullalyGrosso, Mike.I Am DrumsHashimi, Nadia. One Half from the EastKey, Watt. Terror at Bottle CreekKnowles, Jo. Still a Work in ProgressLawrence, Iain. The Skeleton Tree.Lorenzi, Natalie Dias.A Long Pitch HomeLupica, Mike. Fast BreakNarsimhan, Mahtab.Mission MumbaiMcDonough, Yona Zeldis. The Bicycle SpyMoore, Wes with Shawn Goodman.This Way HomeMoss, Miriam. Girl on a Plane.Osborne, William. Winter's BulletReynolds, Jason. As Brave As YouSenzai, N.H. Ticket to IndiaSurrisi, C.M.The Maypop KidnappingVaught, Susan. Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying SorryVolponi, Paul. Top ProspectWoods, Brenda. Zoe in Wonderland

I'm definitely adding this one to my list, both to purchase for the library and to read personally. The grandma sounds a lot like mine and I remember road trips with her and my mother in an older car like the Buick. It sounds great! Thanks for sharing.

I'm always looking for books that make me dance and fist pump! The plot summary of this one reminded me of the movie The Fundamentals of Caring, which was quite funny. I guess you can never have too many road trip stories!

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Because this blog is aimed at librarians and patrons of school libraries, I will not review books that are published solely in e-book formats or that are self published. Books should be available in hardcover or library binding through library suppliers such as Baker and Taylor or Follett. Books should fall within the target demographics of this blog.